4 persons poach and burn Indian black turtles on grandmother's death in Karnataka; booked under Wildlife Protection Act

Mangaluru: Four individuals have been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act for allegedly poaching Indian Black turtles from a river and preparing the meat as part of a post-death ritual for their grandmother. It was said that their grandmother passed away due to age related issues and was fond of turtle meat.

The Forest Department has registered a case under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act against Manikantha (42), Rajendra (54), Vignesh (32), and Prashanth (35). Further investigation is underway.

Acting on specific information, officials conducted a raid on Saturday and found the accused on the riverbank of Somavathi river and  attempting to cook the meat after allegedly hunting four turtles.

The team detained four persons at the spot and recovered four partially burnt turtle carcasses from their possession.